Published 09/12/2018 by

Making a Difference

 

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:4-14

“Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”—Jeremiah 29:5-7
A colleague shared the difficult circumstances they were facing, a series of events that could easily crush the spirit of other people. In spite of bleak prognoses for their future, they resolve that there is still a plan for their life because God wakes them each day. So, they work to identify how they can be of service to God and others under their new normal while waiting for a change in their situation.

It takes faith, courage and even vision, to live through moments when all hope seems lost. The Israelites could appreciate my colleague’s situation. Defeated by the powerful Babylonian Empire and exiled to a strange land of strange gods, their future looked bleak. Added to their despair, they faced conflicting prophecies of when their national nightmare of exile would end.

The truth Jeremiah revealed to his fellow Israelites was hard news; their exile would last a total of 70 years. In the midst of that difficult news, God gave them an encouragement not to devote time and energy towards getting past their circumstances, but learning to live life to the fullest where they were in that moment: Build houses, plant gardens, marry, have children, plan for grandchildren, and pray for the peace and well-being of the city in which they resided because they’d be there for 70 years. Not exactly what the exiles wanted to hear.

The exiles sought to leave Babylon, but there was a life and an opportunity to make a difference right there where they were. God’s words to the exiles remind us of a simple but profound concept: We can devote time to lamenting about where we are and want to be in life, or we can make life fruitful and productive where we are in life. We can be so focused on where we want to go in life, we can’t enjoy the blessings and opportunities of our current environment. That doesn’t mean we give up hope for the future. Instead, we devote ourselves to truly living and making a difference where we are today, even while we wait for the changes coming tomorrow.

Today, if you are in a place hoping for better, greater or to make a difference in the world, never give up the hopes and dreams of such. Meanwhile, stop to look at the beauty of where you are right now. Look for how you can make a difference today. In that process, you may discover that you are close to or already arrived at the place you’ve always wanted to be. 

Question to Ponder: What are you waiting on to make a difference in the world?

“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4 

   

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